More and more services use wireless communication techniques. These techniques allow devices to exchange data with each other or with a contactless chip card, via a short range radiofrequency connection (typically in the vicinity of a few centimeters in the framework of the ISO 14443 standard) or a proximity radiofrequency connection (in the vicinity of a meter in the framework of the ISO 15693 standard).
“Contactless” describes an exchange of data between a contactless reader (Proximity Coupling Device—PCD) and a contactless card (Proximity Integrated Circuit Card—PICC), in which the reader transmits a wireless signal on a predetermined carrier frequency and the card transmits another signal by retromodulation of the carrier frequency.
The card can be “passive”, in which case it is powered by the wireless field transmitted by the reader (by charge modulation through inductive coupling), or “active”, in which case it includes a specific power source.
Certain mobile terminals (mobile telephones or PDAs) include contactless applications allowing users to use their mobile terminal as an information medium able to exchange data, the terminal thus being able to act as payment card, loyalty card, badge, show ticket, transportation ticket or key, for example. These applications can be stored in the terminal's UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card).
With the multiplication of services using this data transfer method, a same mobile terminal must be able to implement several contactless applications, each application being able to be used in the context of a specific service procured by a supplier or service provider. The different applications are not necessarily associated with the same supplier or service provider. Moreover, the service provider is not necessarily the mobile telephone operator. For example, a payment application may be used by a user who subscribes for a contactless payment service offered by a bank.
When the user encounters problems in accessing a given service, he may address the mobile telephone operator's customer service.
However, the problems encountered may have different causes:
In a first case, the inability to access the service may result from a malfunction of the contactless components of the mobile telephone or the UICC card containing the stored application.
In a second case, the inability to access the service may result from a malfunction in the application.
In the first case, the mobile telephone operator must resolve the encountered problems, for example by replacing the mobile terminal or the UICC card. In the second case, it is the service supplier that must ensure the proper operation of the contactless application.
However, it is sometimes difficult to identify the causes of the malfunctions to orient the user towards the appropriate representative (the mobile telephone operator or the service supplier).
To try to identify the causes of the malfunctions, it is generally necessary to remove the UICC card from the mobile terminal and perform operating tests.
Moreover, it is not currently possible to test the other components of the mobile terminal.